Lock-nut.



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HIRAM E. TAFE, OF NDRTHBRID-GE, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR 0F ONE-HALF TO EDWARD 'V'. GRANSrER, 0l? BUR-RILDVILLE, RHODE ISLAND.

LOCK-NUT.

noreste..

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed April 12, 1910.

Patented Mar. li. itil?.

serial ne. 554,981 t To all whom 'it may concern;

Be it known that I, HIRAM E. TAr'r, of Northbridge, in the county of Worcester and Commonwealth of Massachusetts, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Loek-Nuts, of which the following is a specification, accompanied by drawings forming a part of the same.

The object of my invention is to provide a simple and etlicient means .for causing a nut to be held upon a screw threaded bolt against accidental Adisplacement without the employnient of any eXtra or accessory piece, and it consists in forming a narrow slit in the body of the nut in aplane at an oblique angle to the axis of the nut, and in such a position that a double strain is secured when the nut is screwed firmly into position, one strain being exerted upon that portion of the body of the nut which lies below the slit, and the l other strain upon that portion of' the body of the nut lying above the slit, as hereinafter described, they novel features being pointed out in the annexed claims.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a perspective View of a bolt having one of my improved lock nuts applied thereto. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of a bolt and nut, and representing two pieces lclamped between the head of the bolt and the nut, and F ig. 3 is a plan View of the nut detached from the bolt.

Similar reference characters refer to similar parts in the different views.

ln carrying out my invention l form a slit 1 in the body of the nut and lying in a plane at an oblique angle to the of the nut Q. The slit extends from one side slightly past the center of the nut, the bottoni of the slit being indicated by the broken line 3 3, Fig. 3, and preferably extending about two thirds of the way through the screw threaded opening Il, which receives the bolt. 4The inner edge 5 or bottom of the slit is located nearer the pressing face 6 of the nut than it is from the top or crown 7 of the nut. I preferably make the distance between the pressing face 6 and the end 5 of the slit about one hall the distance between the end of the slit and the crown 7 of the nut.

rThe lower and outer end 8 of the slit l terminates at the edge of the nut, said slit forming with the outer side of the nut an acute angled corner 9 which overhangs the end 8 of the slit, with the inner edge of the slit nearer the face G than the crown 7. By this location of the slit l a slender triangular tongue l0 is formed on the under side of the nut. As the nut is screwed into bearing position a compression of the tongue l0 takes place, partially closing the slit and bringing a pressure to bear against the eor- .frs pressure upon the nut is increased a second strain is imparted to the nut by the Contact of the corner ,9 with the work ll, said strain being receivedby the body of the nut above the slit il. The first strain noted above results in a yielding of the tongue l0,- and the second strain results in a yielding of the body of the nut between the crown 7 and the inner end f slit i. The two strains imparted consecutively to the nut, namely, the strain upon the tongue l0 and the strain upon the body the nut above the slit 1 are both produced by the )'nessure applied directly to the pressing face l) of the nut against the work ll, or other object to which the null is applied, and both strains are due to the direct pressure applied to the nut in a line parallel with its axis and caused by the rotation of the nut upon the screw threaded bolt l do not claim broadly the forming of a slit, oblique or otherwise, in the body of a nui, for the sake of weakening the same, and allowing a strain brought upon the nut to tend to deform the nut and produce a pressure upon the screw threads by which the bolt is held in position against accidental displacement.

By luy.improvement l forni the oblique slit l in such a posiliou that the resistance to a de'lorrnlng strain exerted by the tongue will be less than that exerted by the body of the nut above the slit, and the outer end of the slit l is so located with reference to the edge of the nut as to form a corner S) above the plane of the pressing face and overlapping the end of the tongue 10, whereby the first strain upon the nut is received by the tongue and, as the tongue yields the strain is applied to the body of the nut tlnfough the contact of the corner 9 with the work or surface to which the nut is applied.

-My improved lock nut is particularly adapted for use in places wherever a slight lost motion occurs either between the bolt and the work to be clamped or between the` nut and the Screw threaded end of the bolt as in all such cases a slight tipping movement of tile mit is permittecis but E have found in practice that the deforming action of a pressure against the beaiig face 6 oc curs when such lostmotion is extremely slight.

I claim,

l. As an article of manufacture, a, look nut having slit formed in the body of the nut in e plane oblique to the axis of the nut and extending beyond the axis, with the outer edge of the slit terminating at the angie between the pressing, surface of the nut and one of its sides.

2. As an article of manufacture, a Loek mit having a slit :formed in the body of the nut in a plane oblique to the axis of the mit, with the inner edge of said slit extending partially through the screw threaded opening of the nut and nearer the pressing sul :face of the nut than the crown, and with the outer edge o" eaiei siit teiminatilg et the angie between 'the messing of the nut and one of its veitieai sides,` forming? a bearing corne/i' overhamging the outer ege of Said slit.

3. A leek nut having an oblique sit in the body of the mit, said slit extending upward from the angle between the pressing surface of the nut and one of its veftioai sides pertiaiiy through the screw thieaded central opening of toe mit? with said pressing surface forming a 'triangular tongue and also forming oeaiizig eemei' atthe iower edge of said-Vertieai side, with said bearing co1- ner slightly above said piessing surface.

Dated. this 8th cia3? of fipii 1910.

HRAM E. TAFT, Vfitnesses:

Jaime W, Dames GEORGE Vf, GREENE, 

